! networking, automation, and the occasional LLM experiment
Applying network engineering discipline to cloud networking — using Terraform to manage Transit Gateway route tables, attachments, and peering with the same rigor as an MPLS backbone.
Building a lightweight BGP route leak detection tool using pyBGPStream and RPKI validation to catch misconfigurations before they propagate.
Using large language models to extract structured data from show command output when TextFSM templates don't exist or are too rigid.
Quick tip: the ntc-templates repository has over 400 TextFSM templates for parsing Cisco, Arista, and Juniper show commands. Pair it with Netmiko's `use_textfsm=True` parameter and you get structured data in one line. Stop writing regexes by hand.
Been testing Batfish for pre-deployment network verification and it is genuinely impressive. Feed it your configs, ask questions like "can 10.1.0.0/24 reach 10.2.0.0/24 on port 443?" and it answers without touching a live network. Essential for change validation.
Interesting pattern: LLMs generate plausible-looking Cisco configs that compile cleanly but have subtle logic errors. Saw one create an OSPF config with area 0 on all interfaces including the management plane. Always review AI-generated configs against your design docs.